


Say Something (I'm giving up on you)

by Dylangasmsforusall (En_Kelleher)



Series: I'm Still Alive, But I'm Barely Breathing [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Derek is a dollface, M/M, Sadness, Upset!Isaac, addict!Stiles, and really protective, sequel to Semi-Charmed Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-11
Updated: 2014-06-11
Packaged: 2018-02-04 06:18:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1768750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/En_Kelleher/pseuds/Dylangasmsforusall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Semi-Charmed Life.</p>
<p>Stiles and Isaac are living in Boston, attending college and living a semi-charmed life.  Stiles has been outed for his addiction to his Adderall, and Isaac has left the apartment, leaving Stiles behind.   Isaac calls Derek to pick him up (and pick up the pieces of him Stiles had shattered).</p>
<p>So what happens, now?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Say Something (I'm giving up on you)

After Isaac left the apartment that he shared with Stiles, their _home_ , he rushed out of the building as fast as he physically could, needing to get away from everything that had just happened. He needed to get away before he lost his collective shit and ended up hyperventilating on the sidewalk outside of their apartment building; he didn’t entirely think it would be a good idea to become a sobbing breathless mess on the concrete for every person that passed by to see and silently (or loudly) judge him.

So Isaac turned to his right as soon as he exited the doors and walked briskly down the sidewalk. He didn’t know where he was headed, he just knew that he had to _not_ be there. But it really wasn’t his fault that the longer he walked, the more he thought about the situation—Stiles was on _drugs!!_ \-- and the more worked up he seemed to become. He just couldn’t believe it. Well, no. He didn’t _want_ to believe it. He didn’t want to believe that Stiles had lost control so bad that he’d began abusing his medication; the medication that he’d needed to focus and do the things that he needed to do; the medication that he’d been on for as long as Isaac had known him, and longer, that he’d _known_ the proper uses of!

But, then again, on the other less-thought-about hand, Isaac knew that addiction had a genetic predisposition, and Stiles’s father had fought with alcoholism after Stiles’s mom died of pre frontotemporal dementia. He knew that if Stiles let it, if his will wasn’t strong enough for example, that he could very well form an addiction to something. Granted, it was part behavioral in the sense of addictive personalities, too, but, Isaac either missed the signs or Stiles had always been good at hiding that particular aspect of his personality from him.

Isaac felt his phone vibrating nearly constantly in his pocket, but he refused to remove it until he inevitably felt the need to turn it off so that Stiles’s calls would go straight to voicemail and his texts would be easier to ignore, giving him the space that he needed at that moment. He just- He couldn’t talk to Stiles. Not when his own mind was flooded with doubts, emotions, and fuddled with racing thoughts that he couldn’t seem to get rid of. Even if a part of him was torn up even more because he _couldn’t_ talk to Stiles; that part of him was seriously doubting their relationship and if they would make it through this. Especially since when he wiped at the sting of his cheeks from the crisp air he found that his cheeks were streaked with tears.

He hadn’t realized he’d started to cry as he walked aimlessly.

When he spotted a payphone just up the street, Isaac veered off to pick up the receiver. He reached into his pocket for some change, dropping it into the coin slot before he dialed a number that he knew by heart. The phone rang a few times before the all too familiar voice sounded through the phone.

“Hello?”

“D-Der,” Isaac was a little bit alarmed by the utterly broken sound of his voice. He realized that his hands were shaking almost violently.

“Isaac?” Derek’s voice sounded alarmed and there was the sound of something rustling, like Derek had suddenly stood up. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

Isaac sucked in a shaking breath to try and control himself, but the absolutely concerned tone of Derek’s voice wasn’t entirely helping him. He wished that he could say that everything was fine, but it wasn’t, and he needed his best friend. He was just extremely fortunate that Derek had decided to move across the country with Stiles and Isaac when they started college, believing that Isaac was his only family left, aside from his younger sister who was travelling South America permanently (the Sheriff had been happy they’d have someone close, too, of course).

“Isaac?” Derek’s voice was edging on panicked, and Isaac realized that he hadn’t spoken in several moments. Isaac realized then that he’d been lost in his own thoughts, stewing over things that only worked him up even more.

“I… I…” He paused, taking another breath and letting it out before he sniffled as quietly as he could and lifted a sleeve covered hand to wipe at his face. “Can you come pick me up?.... Please?”

“Wh-Yeah, Zac, of course I can. Tell me where you are.” Derek responded, his voice softening.

Once Isaac had rattled off the corner he was standing on, Derek insisted that he stay on the line while he made the drive over to him, even though Isaac just cried as softly and quietly as he could, not speaking. He didn’t entirely think that it was working, the whole being quiet thing, because every now and then Derek would curse at ‘slow ass people’ and make comforting little shushing noises down the phone to Isaac.

Isaac could feel his pulse racing in his ears by the time Derek’s car nearly ran up onto the sidewalk in his haste to get to Isaac. Isaac hung up the phone when Derek opened his door and got out of the car, quickly moving around the frontend in order to reach Isaac. He didn’t even have to say anything because Derek’s arms were around him in a tight hug before he could even think of something to say; which really only made him think that he looked like complete and utter shit standing there.

Isaac wasn’t really sure how long they stood there, but eventually Derek rubbed at his back and pulled away, moving over to the passenger door and opening it before ushering Isaac inside of the vehicle. “C’mon, let’s get you out of the cold, okay?”

Isaac just nodded, sitting kind of numbly in the passenger seat (thankfully with seat warmers) as Derek drove them towards his own apartment. The two of them had been friends for years, and by this point Isaac was pretty confident in knowing that Derek knew that he just didn’t, or couldn’t, be home right now. That he wouldn’t have called and asked to be picked up if there wasn’t something serious going down.

“You know you’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to,” Derek told him as the two of them walked into his apartment. He moved over into the kitchen, starting to make some hot chocolate (since he knew that Isaac didn’t much like the taste of coffee), letting Isaac have a little bit of space as he took off his coat and scarf, hanging them up on the coat rack by the door.

Isaac moved over to the couch when he had discarded his outerwear, sinking onto the cushions with a soul deep weariness that a guy his age shouldn’t know anything about. Rubbing his hands over his face and through his hair, Isaac was startled to feel Derek’s hand on his shoulder, to see a mug of cocoa in front of his face when he lowered his hands and looked up.

“Thanks, Der.” Isaac took the cup, carefully sipping the liquid and letting the warmth seep into his bones with a sigh. “M’sorry about this-“

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for, Isaac. You’re my brother. I’m always going to be here for you, whether it’s to pick you up off the street when you’re upset or from some club because you’re shitfaced. I came out here to be there for you, and I’m gonna do that to the best of my ability, okay?”

Isaac looked up at him, attempting to give him a smile, but even he knew that it didn’t get so far as a twitch of the lips. He shifted a little bit on the couch when Derek moved to sit next to him, angled towards him a little bit.

“You wanna tell me what’s gotten you so worked up?” Derek asked, his tone gentle as he nudged Isaac lightly in the ribs with his elbow. “I haven’t seen you that tear streaked since you stumbled upon Steel Magnolias in the middle of the night when you were sixteen.”

Isaac snorted, the sound coming out a little wet as he looked down into the cocoa in his hand. He shook his head a little bit at the memory, allowing himself that one grace of distraction before the thoughts came back.

“It’s just…” He cleared his throat a little bit, snuffling as he swiped his sleeve under his nose lightly. “S’Stiles.”

Derek was watching him, Isaac could feel it, but he couldn’t bring himself to look over at him. “What about Stiles?” Derek asked, cautious.

“He’s, uh.. Been kicked out of school? Not bringing home sufficient money from work because he’s spending it on other things? Um, buying drugs?..... Has, a,..uh.. Problem.” Isaac filled in, in a slightly deprecating way, because he _hadn’t_ seen it. 

“He what?”

“The Adderall.” Isaac mumbled, tracing the rim of the cup. He felt his bottom lip fighting to tremble, so he clenched his jaw as tight as he could, ignoring the annoying sting behind his eyes. “And I didn’t see it, y’know? I.. I didn’t want to, maybe? Or..Or he was just good at hiding it. I mean, I… I _knew_ something was going on, but I never. I didn’t. I just.. thought it was stress and deadlines and studying and stuff, but, ….I mean, he said it started as that, right? But now? He’s…. He-“

“Isaac, hey, Zac, it’s okay,” Derek’s hand was smoothing soothing circles over his back. Isaac had apparently missed him moving a little closer as he bowed his head and silently (maybe not so silently, depending on how much his voice was really trembling, but he was trying to ignore that) crying into his cocoa, trying desperately to tame his shaking hands so that he didn’t spill it all over Derek’s cream colored carpet. 

“Shh, shh, it’s okay,” Derek mumbled, pulling Isaac into his side as he removed the cocoa from Isaac’s hands.

Isaac turned, wrapping his arms around Derek as best as he could given their position, his fingers gripping the shirt at Derek’s shoulder blades as tight as he could as he buried his face into Derek’s shoulder.

“I just- I _can’t_ do it again, Der,” Isaac whispered against Derek’s shoulder, because he couldn’t say it louder, not really; and Derek knew the whole story of Isaac’s life, essentially, so he knew what Isaac was talking about. Derek knew that Isaac had been through his mother overdosing on pills, his dad becoming an alcoholic after her death. He knew of Isaac’s endured abuse, of the times when his dad said he’d sober up, but he’d really just be sober a few days before he was raging drunk and beating on Isaac again.  
“It’s not going to come to that, Isaac,” Derek responded, rubbing at Isaac’s back again as he hugged him tightly. “Stiles is… He’s a smart guy, right? So, he’ll do the right thing and get his shit together, because… Honestly, Zac, I’m pretty sure that boy would try to lasso the moon for you. He’ll figure out that you… you can’t do that again and he’ll get it together, because I’m positive that he doesn’t want to lose you.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” Isaac asked, pulling away from Derek and looking at him with what he could only assume was a completely broken look, given Derek’s expression.

“If he doesn’t… then…” Derek swallowed audibly and nodded a little, “then we’ll get through it, still. We’ll inform the Sheriff and let him handle Stiles, and you and I will work on getting you to a good place again. You’ll cry on my shoulder, or whatever, for as long as you want to or need to, and I’ll be here for whatever you want to do or need. We’ll take those steps at getting there together. I won’t let you be alone in all of this. Everything’s gonna be okay. No matter what. We’re gonna get you through this.”

 

**++++**

 

It had been days and Stiles had probably just left the one hundredth message on Isaac’s phone when there was a firm knock on the door. He whirled around, racing over to the door and wrenching it open, praying desperately that it was Isaac and he’d just been staying with a friend and forgotten his keys. He’d been trying to get a hold of Isaac since he’d walked out of the apartment, but he only gotten ringing for about ten calls before the calls went straight to voicemail, texts ignored or unread.

“Isaac, I’m- Derek?” Stiles deflated at seeing Derek on the other side of the door, a hard expression on his face. It was a little terrifying, actually. “Y…Y’not here to kick my ass are you?”

Derek lifted his eyebrows as he let himself past Stiles to move into the apartment. “No. I’m here to get some of Isaac’s things.”

“I think I’d rather you kick my ass,” Stiles moved along with Derek, trying to get in his way so that he wouldn’t take Isaac’s stuff, but it didn’t entirely work as Derek moved into the bedroom to grab Isaac’s suitcase, starting to fill it with Isaac’s clothes. “Look, I just.. I need to talk to him about this stuff, y’know? Like.. He’s not answering my calls or texts, and his phone is off ‘cause it’s going straight to voicemail, and, he usually doesn’t turn his phone off at all- and I get that he’s really pissed at me about this, but, I couldn’t help it, Derek, it just happened—“

“It didn’t just happen, Stiles,” Derek whirled around and pointed a finger, jabbing it to Stiles’s chest roughly. “It was a conscious decision to take more than your recommended dosage of that drug, Stiles. You _know_ that it’s amphetamines. You know how addictive that shit is, and you did it anyway! You’re not an idiot! You’ve taken enough courses in high school and college to know better. You’ve had that talk with your doctors, I’m fucking sure, and you allowed yourself to do it anyway. And for what? Huh? To just get a little bit more done? To stay awake? There are ways to do those things that doesn’t involve drugs!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I’m bad, I’m sorry about all of this, and I can’t take any of this shit back, and I just need to talk to Isasac, okay?” He followed Derek into the living room again, attempting to move quickly around the rolling suitcase Derek was pulling. He managed it when Derek released the case and moved to gather up Isaac’s school books, notes, and lap top.

Stiles reached out with violently trembling hands, snatching Isaac’s laptop from Derek’s hands and setting it on the couch, “ I just- I need you to bring him home, Der, just, bring him home and we can sort through all of this stuff, okay? I’ll get better, I’ll _be_ better. I swear it to you, I just need you to bring him home-“

“Why the fuck would I do that, huh?” Derek asked, anger causing his voice to tremble. “Why would I bring him back to this? It’s been _days_ , Stiles! And look at this place- Look at _you_! It doesn’t even look like you’ve been _trying_ to get off of them! Days is plenty of time to start the withdrawals period, and you’re looking just as fucking strung out as you usually do. I bet if I had a better sense of smell I could pick up the chemical scent of fucking pills on you!”

“No, but, I can’t just stop—“

“Yes you can!” Derek yelled at him, taking a few advancing steps towards him as he balled up his fists. “If you loved him as much as you say you do, then you fucking would! Tons of people do it. It’d suck like hell, but at least you’d be headed towards being clean and getting your shit together!”

“It’s not that eas-“

“It’s as easy as you make it, Stiles.” Derek stared at him coldly, shaking his head. “You _know_ what he’s been through with people on drugs. People who killed themselves with manufactured chemicals and lack of will and all of that bullshit! And I swear to the fucking gods if Isaac wouldn’t be more upset about it, I really _would_ kick your ass to fucking hell and back. I’m sure the withdrawals would feel ten times better than that beating because, you’re hurting him. And he’s one of the only family members I have left, and I swore that I would protect him- and you’re fucking it all up!”

“Derek, come on-“

“No.” Derek shook his head, moving to grab the laptop and its charger, sliding it into Isaac’s backpack and slinging that over his shoulder before he moved to grab the handle on the suitcase. He managed to make it to the door before he turned and looked back at Stiles.

“You’re one of the smartest people I know, Stiles.” Derek told him, his voice essentially letting Stiles know that he’d given up. “You’re better than this.”

Stiles stood where he was, staring blankly at the door as Derek walked out and closed it behind him, the sound reminding Stiles all too well of when Isaac had left. His heart was pounding in his chest, his knees shaking like they wanted to give out on him.

Well, they might as well give up on him. Everyone else apparently had.

 

**++++**  
Isaac was sitting on the floor in Derek’s living room, working on the new composition piece that he had due in over the weekend for his Music Composition course, leaning over Derek’s guitar to write on his sheet music. Derek hadn’t grabbed all of his instruments, but at least he had a guitar to work with since Derek liked the pick around on the guitar a little every now and then;but Isaac knew that he’d really only gotten it for Isaac to play when he was at Derek’s place. Sure, Derek knew how to play a little, but not to the extent that Isaac did, and Derek had always said he’d liked hearing Isaac play. So Isaac knew that Derek wasn’t bothered while he was in the kitchen making the two of them dinner while Isaac worked, methodically plucking the strings quietly before pausing to write something down on the staff lines.

Isaac startled a bit when the door to Derek’s apartment all of a sudden burst open and Stiles marched into the apartment. All Isaac could do was sit there dumbly and stare at him, a pencil stuck between his teeth, fingers poised over the guitar strings.

Isaac took in Stiles’s appearance as Stiles took a few deep breaths, gearing up for a long winded speech, apparently. And as much as Isaac wanted Stiles off of those stupid fucking pills, he couldn’t help but cringe away from the thought because Stiles looked like shit with bags under his eyes, sweat lining his forehead and upper lip, and his hands trembling more so than usual. He didn’t want Stiles to be hurting, but he honest to god couldn’t do the whole drugs thing again. It had ripped his life apart once, and he was sitting on Derek’s floor watching It happen again.

“I-I know that you don’t want to see me, o-or talk to me or anything, Isaac, but I need you to, okay?” Stiles started, his voice trembling almost as much as his hands. “I just, I need to tell you, okay? I love you. I do. More than anything, right? And I _need_ you to come home, okay? Cuz I can’t-… I don’t know--. I just, _please_ come home, okay? I’m gonna make this okay, I’m gonna- I’m gonna make it all better. I’ll fix it, I promise, I just can’t do it alone.”

Isaac could feel the tears welling up in his eyes at Stiles’s words, feeling his chest tighten. But the fact of the matter was, he _couldn’t_ do it. He refused to go back to that, because he couldn’t do that to himself, put himself into that position again, or see Stiles go through it.

When he mumbled as much to Stiles, Stiles shook his head quickly, “I’ll do _anything_ , I’ll do everything, Isaac, please. Just.. Please come home. I-I stopped taking them! Well, there was a tiny little slip up, but nothing major—“ Stiles sucked in a breath, letting it out slowly, “but I’m not gonna slip up again, I’m gonna be better, you just… You gotta come home, okay? Cuz I need you, and I love you _so much_

“Y’know, I never thought _you’d_ be the one to break me…” Isaac muttered, keeping his eyes trained on the table in front of him, unable to really look at Stiles. He couldn’t sit there and listen to Stiles spew all those words at him, not knowing if there was truth there or not, “After… After all that we’ve been through.. I can’t believe that it’s _you_ that tears me down like this.”

“Isaac…” Stiles sighed out his name, making Isaac flinch a little bit before looking up at Stiles, tears nearly falling from his eyes. “I-I can make this better. I can-“

“I would’ve followed you _anywhere_ , Stiles.” Isaac shook his head slightly, tears falling down his cheeks as he looked up at the man he loved, “but I can’t… I _wont_ follow you down’ this path. I love you, but I literally can’t.”

“Please, baby, _please_ don’t do this,” Stiles semi-whimpered as he moved to kneel next to Isaac, his long fingers grasping the sides of Isaac’s head firmly, desperation leaking off of him. “Please, Isaac, please just come home-“

“Can’t you see what you’re doing to me?” Isaac asked, his voice trembling as he planted his hands firmly on Stiles’s chest and pushed him away from him gently. “I-I’m going out of my mind…” Isaac shook his head, sucking in a hiccoughing breath as he kept his eyes averted from Stiles’s face, “You’re _breaking_ me.”

“Isaac, no- Please,” Stiles whined softly, attempting to move back towards Isaac, to grasp at him again.

“Why should I, huh?” Isaac asked, shoving Stiles’s hands away and moving away from him, setting the guitar on top of the coffee table gently. “It.. It isn’t fair. I-I can’t go through that again—“ Isaac shook his head again, lifting an arm to swipe under his nose with his sleeve.

 

“ _Isaac_ \--“

“You need to leave,” Derek’s voice rang through the room as he finally stepped through the threshold from the kitchen. Isaac knew there was no way that Derek hadn’t been standing there the entire time, listening to Stiles make his peace. Isaac was actually a little shocked Derek hadn’t stepped in before.

“But- No! Derek, come on—“

“You. Need. To. Go.” Derek bit out, stalking forward like he was about to physically remove Stiles from his apartment, which.. Isaac wouldn’t put past him. “Now.”

Stiles stared at Derek for a moment before shifting his eyes back to Isaac, who just stared at him with watery eyes and a clenched jaw. He wouldn’t go against what Derek was saying. Stiles _did_ need to leave. Because Isaac couldn’t do this. Not anymore.

Isaac watched as Stiles slowly deflated, dejection written all over his features as his shoulders’ slump and his head bowed a bit before he nodded tightly. He watched as Stiles licked his lips, muttered a small, “I love you,” before he turned and moved out of Derek’s apartment.

It took Isaac a moment to sink down next to the coffee table again, his limbs seeming to tremble with everything going on inside of him. He couldn’t believe everything that had gone down. He swallowed thickly as he picked up the guitar, staring down at his music through the tears in his eyes, his fingers moving over the strings on their own accord. He just…He had a deadline, and he needed to get it done, no matter what.

He ignored the wetness of his cheeks as he methodically moved through the motions of strumming the notes on the guitar to writing them down. It took Derek gently placed an arm around his shoulders for Isaac to close his eyes, his pencil dropping onto the table as he bowed his head a little bit, the guitar being gently pulled from his lap and set aside.

“Shh, it’s gonna be okay,” Derek murmured against his hair as Isaac leaned into him, hiccoughing through a few more breaths. Derek didn’t seem to mind that Isaac’s tears dropped onto his pants leg because he just tightened his hold on Isaac and pulled him closer, holding on to him as Isaac attempted to fight the gut wrenching sobs that punched out of him, trying to catch his breath.

**Author's Note:**

> This stems from being up all night with the inability to sleep thanks to my Adderall. And for all the requests for me to post a resolution to Semi-Charmed Life. In all honesty, there will probably be a third part because I have some ideas, guys. Real ideas. =P 
> 
> Anyway, thank you all for feeling this out with Stiles and Isaac, and I hope you enjoy the second installment! ^_^ I hope it doesn’t hurt too much.
> 
>  
> 
> A huuuggee thank you to Pippa, Beka, and a few others for their help/betaship on this one!


End file.
